


Sisters In Spilt Blood

by ImogenSmiley



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe: No Killing Game, Canon ship, Established Kaito / Maki, Established Relationship, Helping Each Other, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Assault, M/M, Mutual Support, Negative Depiction of Foster Care, Nobody Dies, Sexual Abuse, Support, Survivors, TW: Sexual Assault / Rape, Tagged Rape for Rape Ment., Tagged for Rape Ment., Trauma, breaking down your walls, fuck that bitch, fuck tsmugi bitch isn’t here, instead of a cult maki is being abused by the foster system, maki is in foster care, no cult stuff, sexual assault on a minor, spin on canon, tsmugi doesn’t go here, tw: rape, tw: sexual assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27975786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImogenSmiley/pseuds/ImogenSmiley
Summary: Joining that school had changed her more than she would ever admit, she felt normal for the first time, not strange, foreign and alien. Everyone within those walls was special; peculiar, but it meant there was a freedom to feign such normalcy that they could have a genuine High School experience.Maki Harukawa never expected to fall in love when she walked through those doors
Relationships: Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Onesided Tenko x Himiko
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Sisters In Spilt Blood

Joining that school had changed her more than she would ever admit, she felt normal for the first time, not strange, foreign and alien. Everyone within those walls was special; peculiar, but it meant there was a freedom to feign such normalcy that they could have a genuine High School experience.

Maki Harukawa never expected to fall in love when she walked through those doors on her first day, but being thrust into a set class with just fifteen other pupils for the next three years meant she would at least have to open up to them. Eventually.

People drifted at the beginning, working out who they fit in best with, and Maki let the cards fall into place, disheartened that nobody seemed to want to talk to her. Not really, anyway. Until she was paired with Kaito Momota for a group project after a month of school. She never understood what he saw in her that made him want to stay, he was sickly, with asthma and another a medical condition that left him exempt from a lot of gym classes. He was constantly being pulled out of classes to visit specialists, but he didn’t care, because his head was in the clouds.

Each day he was supposedly closer to reaching the stars, whenever he completed a full PE warmup, even when he couldn’t do all of the sports, lest he get injured, was special to him. Each day he would get closer to his dream of reaching space. He dreamed so fiercely.

Maki hadn’t been like that, she didn’t share the same passion for a dream. She envied him, and his best friend Shuichi, as the pair accepted her into their group. She loathed how both boys knew what they wanted with their lives, while she was just a child that had been swept into an unforgiving foster system, and would be spat out at the end of High School. Dreams? If she had any they were futile.

She couldn’t help but wonder if that was true, though, her class was full of miracles: Gonta Gokuhara had been a feral child, abandoned in the wilderness and had somehow survived and become Tarzan-like. He was, admittedly, academically slow, but had a good heart and a thirst for knowledge. Kirumi Tojo was gifted beyond words, and thrived under pressure, she could easily run the country if she was asked; a diligent and dependable class representative.

Maybe this school wasn’t a place to squash the dreams of the hopeful, but was actually going to nourish budding talent? Maybe they could be that lucky?

So, for the first time in her life, and under the guidance of Kaito Momota, she allowed herself to drop the walls that kept her safe in care.

What had started as small smirks hidden behind books, became sneaking out of her dormitory at night to hear stories of Kaito’s life. Despite his poor health, he was still a top candidate in the rankings to go on a manned mission to colonise the moon. He would show her constellations and tell her stories of the stars, and explain conspiracies about the vacuum of space. She listened intently as he showered her in knowledge. He showed her expensive trinkets and memorabilia he had been gifted by his grandparents, who raised him. She was awed by how much they loved him. To her social worker she was just a sad, unfortunate victim of circumstance.

She wanted to know about him, she wanted to know why he was so kind. Kind people tended to have ulterior motives in her experience. She’d blacked many eyes, broken wandering hands and kicked many restless groins of her fellow troubled kids. She feared teenage boys, but not him. Kaito didn’t scare her, not like the others. The impressive silhouette of Gonta looming behind her made the hairs rise on the back of her neck, just as the deep voice of Ryoma Hoshi. She loathed hearing Korekiyo speak in his passionate tones, luring people to listen to his words, like a siren seducing sailors into his clutches.

Kaito had noticed how she always edged away from her male classmates when they were made to work together, just like she had done to him at the start. She rarely spoke to them, and she actually only had two friends in class; loathing Shuichi’s boyfriend Kokichi. She called him childish, deceptive, and said he was the worst kind of person. Kaito didn’t understand it, but was wary of leaving the two alone.

Boys, or men, seemed to scare her. She wouldn’t admit it upfront, she refused to talk about what she went through before she came to that school, but he was starting to pick up the nuances; she wasn’t that different from Tenko. Everyone knew how she felt about men, but then again, everyone knew to give her space.

But these were classmates, not predators.

It took six months for her to cry in front of Kaito. He had placed a hand on her arm, offered her an unsolicited touch and spooked her. She had broken his finger without hesitation and cursed herself, fearing he would hate her. She’d made him cry in pain as she trembled, “don’t touch me.”

He wouldn’t let her apologise for what she’d done. He didn’t understand before, but if a broken finger was what he needed for him to get the picture, it certainly worked. Maki needed to know what he was going to do before he did it, she needed to give explicit permission.

She had been hurt before. He understood that now.

The first time Maki said she loved him was when he collapsed in PE. He’d been doing better, running laps, the track season was apparently the thing he could deal with better. He was actually competing well, and managing to keep pace with her and Tenko, and even Gonta was near reach. That’s when he started coughing.

They’d been doing the hurdle run, and Shuichi had just run his race, coming in dead last, being beaten by even the most unathletic people, scolded by the teacher for Shuichi’s supposed lack of effort. He was berated for refusing to try, and walking the race. Shuichi, to his merit, had taken the brunt of the slander. It made Maki’s insides burn, Kokichi seemed to be hackling too, watching his boyfriend squirm under his teacher’s judgemental eyes. It wasn’t a secret that Shuichi hated gym because of dysphoria. Surely their teacher could have been more empathetic.

Maki had balled her fists, imagining the teacher’s face on the running track ahead of her, seeing read, and ready to stomp with non-existent grace at each landing just for catharsis’ sake. She hadn’t noticed that her boyfriend, that would often risk detention to get the attention away from Shuchi, had been quiet. She should have noticed.

He was pale, a grim face of concentration knitted onto his face. His palms were clammy beneath him, and beads of sweat were trickling from his brow. Laboured breathing escaped split lips as the whistle blew.

It was time to go and after three hurdles, someone had fallen. Everyone had their eyes on the track but each cast a glance behind them.

“Momota,” the teacher said, “Are you alright.”

Kaito grunted in response, coughing, a trickle of blood escaping his mouth. Maki skittered to a halt, eyes wide and rushed to him.

“Hey, Kaito. Kaito! Are you alright?”

“Maki Roll? I’m dizzy.”

Race thoroughly abandoned the class rushed to his aid, the teacher struggling to get past concerned students.

“Elevate his head!” Tenko shouted. Maki nodded frantically and crawled beside him, resting his head on her legs.

“Kaito,” Shuichi said, handing him his water, and inhaler. “Try and have a drink.”

“Gonta confused. Gonta thought Kaito was better?”

“We all thought he was doing better Gonta,” Kirumi said softly, offering his hand a small squeeze, “Maki do you need any assistance.”

Maki ignored her request to help, eyes solely on Kaito. Was he paler? He seemed paler? He was cold and sweaty. He’d been like this before, a few times, and she’d stayed in his room, trying to help, but this hadn’t happened during PE before.

“Stop crowding him, go back to the changing rooms, class dismissed. Go! Now!” the teacher commanded, attempting to get the class back under control.

Shuichi and Kokichi lingered, desperate to stay. Kaito leaned upward, bracing himself as he sat up, his knees battered from where he’d fallen over. “Don’t worry, I’m fine, sorry to worry you guys,” Kaito said, forcing a smile, his brows knitted together.

“Shut up, you idiot,” Maki said, softly, offering him her hand to squeeze, “Why didn’t you ask to sit out. You don’t want to overdo it?”

“And miss seeing your face when I’d beat you in a race? In your dreams Maki Roll.”

A faint blush dusted her cheeks as she pouted, “You’re so stupid.”

“Maybe so, I mean, look at all this fuss I’ve caused.”

The teacher rolled her eyes, “Momota, I’ve called the ambulance. It’ll be here soon.”

“Crap, do I really look that bad? Damn. I guess I’ll catch you all later.”

The teacher raised her eyebrows, glaring behind her, seeing Shuichi and Kokichi still lingering on the grass.

“Hey Shuichi!” Kaito called as the whirling cyan and crimson lights approached the back gates to the school.

“Yes?” Shucihi hollered back.

“Make sure Maki Roll here doesn’t worry about me too much, okay?” Kaito asked, smiling through gritted teeth.

Across the field, Kokichi laughed, the sound carrying across the vast green space.

“Sure, Kaito!” Shuichi replied, giving a thumbs up, just to be sure the message was received.

“You didn’t need to ask him,” Maki replied, rolling her eyes, “I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine as long as you’re fine.”

The paramedics helped Kaito onto a stretcher. Maki got to her feet, following him as he was wheeled away.

“Kaito!”

His laboured breathing seemed louder now he was strapped down, “I’m fine Maki Roll – I told you.”

“Don’t go flaking on the next race, and you’d better not try to get out of training. You don’t want to miss out on going to space.”

He grinned, winking at her, “Catch ya later Maki Roll, love ya.”

“I love you too.”

Her face burned, as the ambulance drove away. What a silly way to confess. Did he really say he loved her? Or was that platonic? She sighed. Shuichi had offered her a hug, but she refused it, head bowed, rushing to the changing rooms. Kokichi was still giggling like a schoolgirl.

“Leave her alone,” Shuichi hissed, elbowing him.

“Fine fine.”

“You’re lying aren’t you.”

“Obviously!” he teased, bouncing on the spot and zooming across the tarmac, begging Shuichi to give chase. Their class had been dismissed prematurely and most of his class were probably in the cafeteria, having been dismissed already. Shuichi’s stomach rumbled, and so, with a determined grin, he let Maki be, and chased his boyfriend back to the locker rooms.

Maki had been in her classes for the last few hours of the day, but mentally she was cursing herself for being so uncomposed, she had potentially embarrassed herself in front of her first crush, her first love, and her best friend, his boyfriend, and their teacher! Their teacher! She was so stupid. She wanted to scream into a pillow and drown in the sheets, the frustration was consuming her.

She wanted Kaito back, she felt like everyone was staring at her, and it was embarrassing. She didn’t like being stared at, she usually liked to slip into the background after all. She just wished that she could be safe, safe in his arms again. She felt safe when he slung his arm over her shoulder, even if she still flinched at the contact. He asked her for permission to do anything more physical than tic tac toe.

She skipped dinner that night, as soon as class was dismissed, she retreated to the safety of her dorm and locked the door tightly, burying herself in the quilts and pillows in her bed to feel like she was being held.

There was a knock on her door an hour past curfew, and she opened it without hesitation expecting food, smuggled from the cafeteria gifted by Shuichi, Kokichi or maybe even Kirumi. Instead, she was faced by a pair of lips on hers. She closed her eyes tight, and swung a fist upward, winding the person in front of me.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him, Kaito. He had one eye closed, staring up at her, grinning, despite the pain. She took a step back, in awe. Had she fallen asleep. Kaito was suddenly right here.

“Shit!” she cursed, flailing as he clutched his stomach. He coughed a few times, laughing through the pain. A bead of sweat crossed his cheek as he glanced back up at her, sympathetic glance on his face, “I’m so sorry!”

“I’m sorry – I should have asked you. You’re probably really uncomfortable. Dammit! I thought that was going to be smooth! I’d been trying to work out how to do that all the way back ugh. I’m such an idiot!”

Maki rolled her crimson eyes and helped him to his feet, hugging him tightly, “You can have a do-over. Kiss me. You have my consent.”

It was Shuichi’s idea to bring Tenko and Maki together. From what Kaito had learned about Maki and what the whole class knew about Tenko, perhaps, they could help each other.

Maki had been reluctant, but she’d been his girlfriend for almost six months and he had done nothing to make her doubt him. She had fallen for him, hard, and the vulnerability was still something that made her uncomfortable. But, if Kaito thought it was a good idea for her to approach Tenko, and invite her to hang out on a Saturday, maybe she should.

She was clearly having similar issues that Maki had been having, not so much on the physical contact front, as she never allowed a man to touch her. She was very clear that she hated men, constantly degrading them, calling them degenerates.

No, Tenko was in love, just as Maki had been, with someone potentially oblivious. Himeko Yumeno had her head in the clouds and unfortunately that meant that Tenko’s approaches were often overlooked, dismissed as being just painfully friendly. But she was pleasant enough, good company and a great person to do sport with. She was lovely if not enthusiastic.

But despite her lovliness, Kaito had had to almost shove Maki over to Tenko’s desk on Friday morning to make her do it. The athletic girl sat on the other side of the classroom, behind Himeko Yumeno and beside Angie Yonaga. Both of the girls cast a glance at Maki as she approached Tenko.

Despite the small class size, during their first year of study, the cliques had been formed quite quickly; Kaito, despite being a friendly person, tended to hang out solely with Maki, Shuichi and Shuichi’s boyfriend Kokichi, when the violet haired prankster chose to join them. On the other side of the class were the diligent students, Korekiyo Shinguchi and Kirumi Tojo, who sat front and centre, eager to learn. They kept to themselves outside of class. Gonta Gokuhara hung out, surprisingly, with Kokichi and his best friend Miu. Although Gonta failed to understand the pair’s banter, the three got along well.

Most of the other kids in the class would hang out with whoever, whenever. Except Tenko, who was glued to Himeko Yumeno’s side. The redheaded mage, however, seemed much more interested in Angie Yonaga, and Angie, much more in her artwork. The three would spend their time together, although both Himeko and Angie seemed to wish Tenko away.

Maki hated that. Tenko was vulnerable, like her. They both had walls up, and while Kaito was helping Maki break hers down, brick by brick, Tenko had offered Himeko a sledgehammer, that she refused to use.

The class all knew what had happened to Tenko. Her assault had been in the news just a month before they all moved up into high school, face plastered all over the papers. She was dubbed as sensitive by the teachers and she was given leeway due to her trauma, which had become public knowledge.

Maki’s story had been untold, and she wasn’t given the chance for space. She wouldn’t change that, but, she hoped she could help Tenko. They’d experienced similar things. There was almost a sense of sisterhood, kinship, that she felt to the akido master.

“Hey, Tenko, I- I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow?”

“Um, okay, I guess?” she offered, raising her thin brows, “Why? What do you want to do?”

“Whatever you want? I just want to spend more time with you.”

“Aw, how kind of you, Maki. Sure, want to go to town, maybe get a milkshake?”

“Sounds great!” Maki replied, offering an encouraging smile to her classmate.

She wondered whether Tenko had noticed the nuances and the similarities between them in the year that they’d shared a class. Perhaps not, since she was clearly deep in the pits of unrequited love. But, either way, getting to know her, and maybe help her, like Kaito did her, might be a good step in helping her.

Maki wore a red sweater and black ripped jeans when she went to town to meet Tenko. Her classmate wore a white hoodie underneath a blue denim jacket and a pair of leggings.

Maki was early, waiting in the crowded town centre on a bench outside the milkshake place that Tenko would meet her. She had been on time, exhaling audibly having spotted Maki immediately. Tenko waved, a bright smile on her face, and for a while things were normal, formal, perhaps, but normal. Strangers passing would likely think they were good friends, as they’d fallen into step with one another quickly, discussing miscellaneous details of school. Tenko, however, didn’t bring up her classmates at all. But when Maki mentioned Himeko, blush stained the taller girl’s cheeks. She smiled, gazing upwards, a dreamy look crossing her face.

“Himeko-chan is just so nice, and I hope we can spend more time together, but she’s always really busy with her magic, or she only hangs out with Angie because she doesn’t want to disrupt my akido training. Which – I think, is super considerate of her. After all, I’m in training every night after school so my master will think highly of me agai-”

She cut herself off, paling. Maki paused, lowering her voice, “It’s okay, Tenko. You don’t have to talk about it.

She shook her head, “You’re right, forget it. You didn’t want to hang out to hear me ramble about akido. I’m just rambling and wasting your time. I should just go…”

“N-no! I’d love to know more about akido!” Maki said, reaching out and taking Tenko’s hand in her own. She paused, paling, as Tenko struck her wrists.

“Don’t touch me!”

It was like town had frozen. Both girls felt the eyes, seemingly hundreds of strangers, startled, staring at the pair, bracing for a fight between those high-schoolers to break out. Maki released her immediately, face white as a sheet, Tenko’s mirrored her, the same horror painted on their features.

As soon as they broke apart, motion seemed to return to the world, the entire town centre seemed to exhale. Everyone turned away, and returned to the day, tension dissipating like dandelion seeds in the wind.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you.”

“I’m sorry for hitting you.”

Maki lowered her head, her stomach sunk, feeling like lead. Was this how Kaito felt when the shoe was on the other foot.

“No, I- I get it.”

Maki exhaled audibly, averting her eyes from the taller girl. She gesticulated wildly between the two of them, “I get it.”

“You do?”

“I do.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

Maki took a deep breath and looked up to see Tenko was still staring at her, eyes wide and lip trembling, “You’re really something, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, building house after all you’ve gone through.”

Maki blushed, taking hold of one of her twin-tails and twirling a strand of her hair, puffing out her cheeks. Tenko giggled, “Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed about. I’m jealous.”

“You’ll get there, too. Kaito- he’s really patient.”

“I wish I had someone like him, I’m sure that she’d be super understanding.”

Maki offered her hand to Tenko, “I’m sure that she will be!”


End file.
